Early life:
Kangana Ranaut is from a village called Bhambla in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. She completed most of her schooling in Shimla. She studied science and wanted to be a doctor at one point. In a passion for acting, Kangana travelled to Delhi, where she did several theatre shows.

Personal life:
Ranaut’s father is a businessman and her mother is a school teacher. Ranaut has an elder sister named Rangoli who survived an acid attack in late 2006. She is said to be dating an unknown man whom she met in South Africa.

Career:
Kangana moved to Mumbai to try her luck in movies. She was unsuccessful for quite a while, until she received the offer for Gangster. The film was critically and commercially successful, her performance was especially applauded. This was followed by another acclaimed performance in Woh Lamhe (2006). Kangana was announced heroine of Jeeva’s forthcoming Tamil venture, Dhaam Dhoom on February 19, 2007. Her performance in a May 2007 release ‘Life in a Metro’ as a confused girl who is looking for a real love is commendable.

It is good to know your market price, but it is better when you can extract it from tight fisted producers. Learn from Kangana Ranaut how she managed to get that amount from the Bhatts.

The actress is back in the Bhatt camp for Raaz 2 and has even managed to get her market price for the film. Bhatts who otherwise are known for their small-budget films have agreed to pay Rs 60 lakhs to Kangana Ranaut for Raaz 2, which is an achievement in itself for the actress.

It’s tough to say no to the very people who have launched you in Bollywood. But Kangana Ranaut is an exception. The actress has refused almost all the scripts the Bhatts have been giving her post the success of Gangster and Woh Lamhe, her last two films with the banner. But when Raaz 2 was narrated to her, she said, “The script was so exciting that I had to do it. And contrary to what you might believe, I am not acting opposite Emraan Hashmi.”

So what is she playing? The actress grins, “How you guys want to know everything.. Hang on the film will start this month end. It’s a long way off.”

With star remunerations rocketing sky-high, we wonder what is the price a relatively new actress like Kangana commands. An industry trade pundit says, “It depends on film to film. For a Yash Raj film an actress may be willing to work for a very small amount. But from a smaller banner one takes more money. If the director or the production house is very big, one is ready to work at a very small price. Working with a big director is a respectful thing”.

That makes us wonder who the top paid actress in Bollywood is today and what is the amount she charges? “Aishwarya and Kareena are the top paid actresses today. Aishwarya charges more than a crore per film”, reveals the trade person.

All the actress needs is one big hit that catapults her market value. A good example would be of Mallika Sherawat who after the success of her film Pyaar Ke Side Effects and the famous item number in Guru quoted an incredible Rs 1.5 crore for Himesh Reshammiya’s Aap Ka Suroor. Interestingly she had only a 15 minute role in the film which means she ended up charging Rs 10 lakh per minute for her act. And the producers were willing to pay her too.

Talking about the producers, how come Bhatts raised their bars for Kangana? “They have now realised that Kangana is important for them. In case of Kangana, they have made an exception”, explains trade source. But why are the Bhatts not willing to pay more as compared to other banners in Bollywood. What is their business model of film making? The source explains, “The Bhatts always work on a small film budgets. They are known to launch new talent. John, Bipasha, Mallika, Kangana, Emraan, Shiney have all started their careers with the Bhatts. Before them Ajay Devgan, Sanjay Dutt and even Aamir Khan in Ghulam have worked with the Bhatts. Some of the path-breaking films of these actors have come from the Bhatts. Mahesh Bhatt always says, “We make actors. We bring more to the table than just making a film for them.” They are in that sense correct because they are giving you your defining film. Nobody would work with them if they did not feel that it was worth its while. If they take an actor, they promote him so well that he becomes a star. Even most musicians have begun their careers with the Bhatts. The Bhatts always find new talented people.”

Kangna’s sisterly act!
Here’s the latest on Kangna Ranaut. We all know that she’s a brave girl, but more than her, it’s her sister Rangoli, who truly deserves accolades for her guts and determination.

Yes, we are talking about the same sister who suffered serious injuries on her face, arms and eyes when a man threw acid on her in Dehradun, but the girl fought back and made a remarkable recovery.

And now, she’s with her sister Kangna in Mumbai undergoing treatment on skin grafting for her burns. “Kangna is now taking care of her sister’s treatment. She has already undergone couple of cosmetic surgeries, and hopefully, will recover fully soon,’ says a friend of the actor.

Meanwhile, the other day we spotted her waiting patiently for her sister on the sets of Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion. “She’s a regular there and a real sweetheart, all the unit members pamper her all the time,” says a unit member. Atta girl!

Kangana wants more money:
It is good to know your market price, but it is better when you can extract it from tight fisted producers. Learn from Kangana Ranaut how she managed to get that amount from the Bhatts.

Its tough to say no to the very people who have launched you in Bollywood. But Kangana Ranaut is an exception. The Gangster actress has refused almost all the scriptys the Bhatts have been giving her post the success of Gangster and Who Lamhe, her last two films with the banner. But when Raaz 2 was narrated to her, she said, “The script was so exciting that I had to do it. And contrary to all, I am not acting opposite Emraan Hashme..”

So what is she playing? The actress grins, “ How you guys want to know everything.. Hang on the film will start this month end. It’s a long way off.”

Raaz 2 is not a sequel to Raaz, which was directed by Vikram Bhatt. But with him falling out of favour with the Bhatts, the baton will be picked up by Bhatt current favourite, Mohit Suri.

Kangana getting back into the Bhatt camp, puts to rest all the speculations about the differences between Kangana and the Bhatts. Kangana reveals, “Working with the Bhatts is like coming home.”

So one can imagine how difficult it must have been for the actress to have quoted her market rate of 60 lakh rupees per film from the Bhatts who never pay such a high amount. But if you are the current flavour of the month, we say, just go for it, baby…

Kangana Ranaut to play Juliet:
Kangana Ranaut at the filmfare awardsIf you had the feeling that sexy Kangana Ranaut vanished after the success of Gangster and Woh Lamhe then you are totally mistaken. The latest news about her is that she is heading towards Hollywood. She has been approached by US-based film agency Ambassador Pictures to play the role of Juliet in a present day version of Romeo & Juliet.

Reports also poured in that she has another Hollywood project in her kitty. The film titled ‘Between the Night and Moon’ and will be shot in Kashmir and Florida. It is reported that this film will be directed by Italian director Gilda Pianelli.

Kangana is busy these days more with regional films than Hindi films. She is doing a Tamil film Dhaam Dhoom and has signed some more. Her role as Simran in Gangster is well appreciated and for that she has bagged the Filmfare Face of the year in 2006. Woh Lamhe had also done a good business in the box-office. Her forthcoming film is Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion which deals with the dark side of the fashion world. In this film she is sharing screen space with Priyanka Copra. Raaz 2 and Roshan also follow.